A former England and Premier League winger found love with Hazel O’Sullivan, a former darts walk-on girl who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother
Former Premier League star Andros Townsend certainly hit the bullseye after dating a darts walk-on girl and Celebrity Big Brother contestant.
Townsend, who earned 13 England caps, is in a relationship with Hazel O’Sullivan, whom he met at a darts event in London in 2013, while still playing for Tottenham. The Irish beauty was a familiar face on the oche, escorting elite players to the stage at prestigious competitions, including the World Championship and the Premier League.
During that period, she featured in Celebrity Big Brother, surviving 58 days before getting voted out. Her stint got Townsend completely addicted to the programme and left him eager to take part himself.
In 2015, she revealed: “Andros is a huge Big Brother fan – he loves it. He said one day that if he wasn’t doing football, he’d love to do the celeb one.
“He forces me to watch it. I did my series two years ago and he has made me watch everything since!”
O’Sullivan carried on working as a walk-on girl until the practice was axed in 2018. The move sparked fierce debate at the time.
While some applauded the decision, arguing the tradition was antiquated and potentially sexist, others lamented the end of a cherished darts custom. A disappointed O’Sullivan was firmly in the latter category.
She said: “I made a very good wage as a walk-on girl so for that to be abruptly pulled from the girls, will of course have a knock-on effect on their lives.
“I think that the current focus on women and equality led to the final call being made on scrapping walk on girls but ironically it all feels very anti-woman.”
However, Townsend and O’Sullivan had far more pressing priorities on their minds in 2018 as they celebrated the arrival of their first child, Aria Valentina Townsend.
Sharing a snap of their bundle of joy, the proud mum posted on social media: “Our little miss Aria Valentina Townsend, These have been the most magical weeks of our lives! Her Daddy and I are so in love with her.”
Townsend, 34, has enjoyed a globe-trotting career that has now landed him in Thailand’s top division, where he plays for Kanchanaburi Power.
His final English stint was with Luton Town after spells at Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Everton. Last season, he had a brief stint in Turkish football with Antalyaspor.
He scored three times for his country, the first goal coming on his man-of-the-match debut in a World Cup qualifier against Montenegro in 2013, when he bagged the third goal in a 4-1 win.
He also scored in a 5-0 victory versus San Marino in a European Championship qualifier in 2014, and the equaliser in a 1-1 friendly draw with Italy in March 2015.